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Aegis, the holding company for the Carat media network, has

announced a raft of senior management changes intended to strengthen its

international operations.

The UK chief executive, Ray Kelly, will become chief executive of Carat

Northern Europe, while Bruno Kemoun and Eryck Rebbouh, joint chief

executives of Carat France, have been promoted to head Carat, Southern

Europe (±±¾©Èü³µpk10, 23 July).

Doug Flynn, the recently appointed chief executive of Aegis, announced

the formation of a new global executive comprising 11 senior managers,

including the regional chief executives.

Flynn said the executive ’will ensure a more collegiate approach within

the business and, importantly, ensure a rapid cross-promotion of ideas

while maintaining a very focused approach towards our services’.

In the UK, Mark Craze, chief executive of Carat London, will take on

Kelly’s role as chief executive of all Carat-branded UK operations,

including Carat Manchester, Carat Direct, Carat Interactive and Carat

Business.

The news came as Aegis announced an increase in pre-tax profits of 24

per cent to pounds 29.9 million. For the first six months of 1999 Aegis

recorded a turnover of pounds 2.2 billion, up 12 per cent year on year,

with margins up from 5.2 per cent to 5.5 per cent. Operating margins

remained steady at 23 per cent.

The company singled out the recent acquisition of Market Facts, the US

research market company, as representing a growth area for the group in

the US as well as providing a global platform for the development of a

market research network.

Flynn said the group continues to outperform the markets on both sides

of the Atlantic. Aegis predicts global advertising growth of 4-5 per

cent, with European growth of 5 per cent and US growth of 6 per cent.

Aegis’s turnover in North America grew by 19 per cent year on year and

European turnover was up 9 per cent.